Sex Hormones and Inflammation Role in Oral Cancer Progression: A Molecular and Biological Point of View

Figure 1

Cancerogenetic changes and inflammatory triggers are both involved in oral cancer onset by a two-way interrelated pathway, involving intrinsic and extrinsic events toward cancerogenesis. The intrinsic factors include genetic and epigenetic phenomena bringing the keratinocyte toward malignant transformation (oncogenes activation/oncosuppressor inactivation) and the production of inflammatory cancer-related mediators that recruit inflammatory cells. The extrinsic pathway is related to an underlying inflammatory/infectious state, which can promote cancerogenesis via the production of inflammatory cytokines that activate a series of transcription factors responsible for tumorigenesis. Both pathways bring toward the production of further phlogistic mediators and cancer-promoting transcription factors, thus creating a microenvironment where inflammation and cancer feed on each other.